Chalk Talks by Famous People

Chalk Talks

and Famous People Who Gave Them

by Patricia Lynne Grace Cummings

This essay is a brief look at the individuals who are known to have given "chalk talks" in the twentieth century and beyond. Bertha Corbett Melcher, Albert Einstein, Hans Rey and Tasha Tudor, in the twentieth century, and Nathaniel Scrimshaw, (in the twenty-first century), are among those presenters discussed.

Bertha Corbett

The first time I ever saw the phrase "chalk talk" was in regards to the talks given by Bertha Corbett (Melcher), an early twentieth century artist, famous for her Sunbonnet Sue figures. "The Minneapolis Journal" said this: "Her work is decidedly out of the ordinary as she chalks and chalks as she talks..." To read more comments about Bertha's talks, click on the following link: http://www.sunbonnetsue.com/suehistory.html

Albert Einstein

Another person who reportedly gave "chalk talks" was the noted German physicist, Albert Einstein, who perhaps is best known for discovering the theory of relativity.

Hans Rey

Hans Rey (1898-1977), the creator of the cartoon character, "Curious George," was a naturalist and an artist. Born Hans Reyersbach, both he and his wife were German Jews who had escaped the Nazis by riding their bicycles out of Paris, bicycles that Hans constructed. He and his wife, Margret (1906-1996), born Margarete Waldstein, chose to live in New Hampshire.

According to a February 9, 2006 article in the "Concord Monitor," Rey bought land in Waterville Valley in 1957 and three years later built a cottage there. In that northern part of New Hampshire, Hans could fulfill his desire of studying the constellations without the interference of city lights.

During their lifetime, Hans often gave "chalk talks," utilizing a chalk board, poster board, or large sheets of newsprint. He would create alphabet drawings and give the drawings away afterwards to whomever had sat the most quietly and listened. To read more about Hans and Margret Rey, please visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margret_Rey

Nathaniel Scrimshaw Continues the Chalk Talk Tradition

Nat Scrimshaw knew "Mr. Rey," as a child. He has recently come back to New Hampshire to serve as the director of the Curious George Cottage and to continue the tradition of "chalk talks," that he had loved when he was a youngster. Scrimshaw's work has helped to raise one and a half million dollars toward a new Waterville Valley Center for the Arts. The 501c3, non-profit organization, will transform the town of Waterville, Valley, NH into a cultural mecca.

Tasha Tudor

At one point in time, Tasha Tudor, (born in 1915), a famous artist who illustrates books for children and lives a quaint way of life, resides in Vermont with her Corgi dogs. She used to give a 45 minute "chalk talk" about being an artist. She is known for loving antiques, and for daily wearing "costumes" that reflect previous times.

book cover

Book: Chalk Talks for Sunday Schools

When we were browsing in a shop that sells antiques, I came across a little book that I bought just for its title: Chalk Talks for Sunday Schools by Harlan Tarbell, (Chicago: T.S. Denison & Company Publishers, 1928). The illustrations are simple and could be translated into needlework, easily.

A quick look at amazon turns up a number of similarly-named books. However, most of them appear to be unavailable.

Chalk Talks, in General

So, isn't this situation just classic? I have gone from having never heard anything about "chalk talks" to noticing the expression cropping up everywhere I look. Artists, Scientists, and Sunday School Teachers have been documented as giving "chalk talks." If you hear of any other "chalk talk" sightings, please let me know!